Immigration Status

What are social determinants of health?
According to the World Health Organization, the social determinants of health
are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the
wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life.
These forces and systems include economic
policies and systems (e.g., wages), social
norms (e.g., discrimination), social policies
(e.g., availability of affordable housing) and political
systems. In the United States access to health
care is a social determinant because access is
determined by social factors such as working for
an employer who provides health insurance as a
benefit and the ability of individuals and families to
cover health costs.
While access to health care has been viewed as the
primary driver of positive health outcomes, we now
know that most of health is socially determined.
According to the County Health Rankings and
Roadmaps, 50% of health is determined by social,
economic and environmental factors, and 30% is
determined by health behaviors, which are also
partially influenced by social factors. The remaining
20% is determined by medical care. ¦
Focus on Health • 6